Yahoo has confirmed data “associated with at least 500 million user accounts” has been stolen in what may be one of the largest cybersecurity breaches ever.
The stolen data may include names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, passwords, as well as security questions and answers.
“This latest hacking “bombshell” — and the huge number of people affected by it — is a real reminder of something we often don’t take the time to do: We must be vigilant about changing our email passwords regularly! If you use any Yahoo product, you should make sure you change your password immediately, and closely monitor any credit cards associated with your account,” Attorney General Rosenblum said.
If you use Yahoo services and have an account with Yahoo, you should do the following as soon as possible:
- Change your Yahoo password, as well as your Yahoo secret questions and answers; and
- If you reused any passwords, secret questions and answers from your Yahoo account to any other account (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.), change that information in those accounts as well.
In addition, Oregonians who have shopped and used a debit or credit card on a Yahoo account, or on a Yahoo web service, should:
- Monitor your credit report. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 to order a free credit report and review it for errors.
- Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails. Yahoo will be contacting affected users about this issue, but these emails will not ask you to click on any links or contain attachments and Yahoo will not ask for your personal information.
- Beware of “phishing” (the activity of posing as a legitimate company to gain access to financial accounts) attempts and unsolicited calls or emails offering credit monitoring or identity theft services. These offers are attempts to steal your personal information.
If you find unexplained activity on your credit report or if you believe you are a victim of a “phishing” scam, there are important steps you can take to protect yourself. Contact the Attorney General’s consumer hotline at 1-877-877-9392, review the Attorney General’s website – www.oregonconsumer.gov – for information on identity theft, or view the Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft resource, available at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/.
